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The process of constructing a collar pattern shaped to fit a garment's neckline, determining the collar's stand height, fall, and roll line based on the desired style.

A narrow band that attaches the collar to the neckline, allowing the collar to sit upright before folding over on a shirt.

A fabric's resistance to fading or bleeding dye during washing, light exposure or rubbing, tested before combining contrasting fabrics in one garment.

A close-fitting activewear piece made from firm stretch fabric engineered to apply graduated pressure to muscles during exercise or recovery.

A collar designed to be worn open, exposing a notch-like opening at the top button, or closed at the neck like a mandarin collar.

A thin, twisted or braided cord used inside piping, as a drawstring, or couched onto fabric for decorative surface texture.

A durable cotton fabric woven with extra weft yarns cut to form vertical ridges, or wales, of pile; sewn with the nap running consistently in one direction.

Lightweight costume armour built from heat-formed EVA foam sheets, shaped, sealed, and painted to mimic metal or hard plating, then attached to a fabric base or harness.

A machine patented by Eli Whitney in 1794 that mechanically separated cotton fibers from seeds, dramatically increasing cotton production and, in the American South, entrenching slave labor on plantations.

A stitch made on a coverstitch machine that forms parallel rows of stitching on top and interlocked loops beneath, used for stretchy, professional-looking knit hems and seams.

A machine that sews two or three parallel rows of straight stitching on top with interlocking looper threads underneath, used for hems and flat seams on knits.

A neckline formed from bias-cut fabric that drapes into soft, loose folds below the collarbone rather than lying flat.

A fabric with a crimped, pebbly surface produced by high-twist yarns, heat-setting or a crepe weave, giving good drape and a matte finish.

A stiffened or hooped petticoat used to hold out a wide skirt; the cage crinoline of steel hoops, introduced around 1856, replaced heavy layered petticoats and dominated 1860s fashion.

Spanish couturier who opened his Paris house in 1937, renowned for sculptural, architectural silhouettes such as the sack dress and balloon skirt built through precise draping and construction.

A simplified, elongated figure template used by fashion designers to sketch clothing designs quickly onto a consistent body proportion.

The vertical distance from the waist to the seat while seated, used in trouser drafting to position the crotch line and set the rise of the pattern.

Diagonal wrinkles radiating from the crotch seam of trousers, indicating that the crotch curve, rise, or crotch length does not match the wearer's body shape.

The process of constructing a band or shaped pattern piece that finishes the opening of a sleeve at the wrist, sized to the wrist measurement plus ease for closure.

A finished opening at the sleeve hem, faced or bound with a separate strip, that allows the cuff to open wide enough to fit over the hand.

Wide-legged trousers cut to resemble a skirt, with each leg constructed as a separate panel joined at a center seam.

A facing edge that rolls to the outside instead of staying tucked inside usually means it lacks understitching or the interfacing is too light. Understitch close to the seam and match interfacing weight to the fabric.

Top finish of a curtain that determines how it hangs and gathers, such as pencil pleat, eyelet, or tab top, usually stiffened with heading tape or interfacing.

Fabric layer sewn or attached to the back of curtain fabric to block light, protect against fading, and add body and drape to the finished curtain.

A woven-thread repair for holes and thin worn patches, built by stitching a grid of threads across the gap and weaving a needle over and under them to recreate fabric. Common on socks and knitwear.

A small, often spring-loaded hoop-shaped presser foot used with the feed dogs dropped for free-motion stitching, darning, and thread sketching.

The process of moving a dart's point closer to or farther from the bust or hip apex to correct fit or match a design change.

A dart manipulation technique in which a pattern is pivoted around the dart apex to close an existing dart while a new dart opens automatically at another edge.

A dart that is stitched only partway to its point and released as soft fabric folds rather than pressed flat, adding gentle shaping with a softer silhouette than a standard dart.

Sewing a garment under real time pressure so it will be ready for a specific event, often finishing the final stitches at the last minute.

Surplus fabric left over from fashion industry production runs and resold in limited quantities rather than being sent to landfill.

A hip-length jacket made of denim, typically featuring a button front, chest pockets with flaps, and a fitted waistband, derived from workwear.

A sewing machine needle with a strong, slim, sharp point designed to penetrate tightly woven heavy fabrics such as denim and canvas without deflecting.

Extra room added into a pattern beyond the minimum wearing ease, chosen purely to create a looser, more relaxed silhouette in the finished garment.

A sleeve cut as an extension of the garment's bodice, with a deep armhole that tapers to a narrow wrist, producing a draped, batwing-like shape.

A firm, stable knit fabric produced on a machine with two sets of needles, identical on both faces, holding its shape well and resisting curling at cut edges.

A dart pointed at both ends and widest in the middle, used to shape a fitted garment at the waist where no horizontal seam exists.

The way a fabric falls, folds and moves under its own weight, ranging from fluid, as in chiffon and jersey, to stiff, as in canvas and taffeta; a key factor in pattern choice.

A collared, button-front shirt intended for formal or business wear, typically featuring a fitted body, cuffs, and a placket front.

Applique scissors with one wide, flat, blunt-tipped blade that slides beneath the top fabric layer to trim it without cutting the layer below.